Considering the world's environmental situation, it is necessary that all resources be effectively and efficiently utilized in order to both eliminate existing pollution and prevent continuing pollution.
For many years silver has been known to be a potent and highly effective purification agent through its killing of infectious bacteria. Silver has been used for dinnerware with the belief that it had sterilization characteristics among other reasons. Silver nitrate has long been used in hospitals for babies and others because of its disinfection capabilities. During these and other similar disinfecting or sterilization applications, silver has been used with comfort and trust on the basis that it has shown no undesirable side effects.
When the National Aeronautic and Space Administration was searching for a means to purify the recycled water for the Apollo astronauts, silver was selected because of its high potency disinfecting capabilities. Being the reference base for the International Ampere and Faraday's Law, it was well known to be readily ionized. Accordingly, N.A.S.A. developed a simple electrolytic system to generate silver ions to be circulated in the water to be treated. A control unit generates a direct current which is applied across electrodes of specially formulated silver alloy immersed in the water being treated. The dose rate at which these ions are generated and liberated into the water is set and maintained by solid-state microprocessor circuitry in the control unit.
This same system, with the addition of copper to the silver and with other minor adaptations, is now being used in the treatment of water in many commercial and industrial applications such as swimming pools, spas, air conditioning cooling towers, food processing, etc.
At the same time, several patents have been issued in recent years which cover unique ways of using silver in water treatment and disinfecting.
In addition to the above systems which utilize silver or copper, there are many which still utilize chlorine and its many compounds to disinfect water. Extensive efforts are underway, however, to eliminate the use of chlorine and halogens. Radiation-type systems such as ultraviolet have been introduced in this effort. These systems are being used in food processing and some sewerage treatment plants.
The current systems require that all water being treated must pass over, under, or through the treatment mechanism to pick up the treatment produce. The total water supply, now with the treatment product, becomes disinfected and is ready for the user.
As will be shown in the following calculations, it is highly impractical, and close to impossible, for the current systems to utilize more than a minute fraction of the high potency treatment capability of silver.
Given the following:
1. By Faraday's Law, the amount of silver ions released in one second with a one ampere current flow between the silver electrodes is 0.001118 grams. PA1 2. The kill level for infectious bacteria, or its disinfecting capability, is 5/15 PPT (parts of silver per trillion parts of treated media).
Using the worst case of 15 parts, versus the 5 parts at the low end of the scale, the amount of water, or gallon flow per second, which can be treated in a one-second flow of electrical current across the silver electrodes is determined by the following ratio: ##EQU1##
As noted above, it would be virtually impossible to economically and effectively build a treatment apparatus to flow 19,689 gallons per second through it to utilize the full treatment capability of silver. It is possible, and highly practical, to provide a treatment apparatus through which a minute part of the water to be treated is passed through the treatment apparatus and subsequently effectively mixed with untreated water so that the disinfection process is successfully completed.
It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a method and a portable apparatus which can be transported to the treatment site, provide concentrated treatment to a part of the total water to be treated through the generation of silver ions in a manifold through which this water part flows, uniformly distribute this water part with the silver ions to the water whole, and, thus, provide treatment to both confined and extended areas of water which otherwise have been untreatable through the elimination of undesirable bacteria and other microorganisms in this area.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method and a portable apparatus which ca be transported to the treatment site, provide a concentrated treatment solution in an auxiliary source of water through the generation of silver ions in a manifold through which this auxiliary water source flows, uniformly distribute this water with its silver ions to both confined and extended areas of land and water which otherwise have been untreatable, and, thus, provide treatment through the elimination of undesirable bacteria and other microorganisms in the area.
A further object of this invention is to provide a method and a portable apparatus which can be used by airplane, motor vehicle, boat, and/or other transportation vehicle to provide treatment through the generation of silver ions in a manifold through which an auxiliary water source flows from a storage tank, delivering this water with its silver ions back to this storage tank to obtain a concentrated solution of silver-ionized water, and then utilizing one or more of these transportation vehicles to uniformly distribute this concentrated solution of silver ions to both confined and extended areas of land and/or water and, thus, provide treatment through the elimination of undesirable bacteria and other microorganisms in the area.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a method and a portable apparatus to provide treatments as described above except with other elements or alloys such as copper and copper/silver and for treating living matter which they affect such as algae.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a portable apparatus which can be moved and used in different treatment areas, moved to and carried in different transportation and distribution vehicles, and readily moved within a treatment area to accomplish the objectives described above.
It is to be understood that the present invention relates to silver ions and copper ions used either singly or in combination.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following specification, together with the accompanying drawings.